


a new day

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Lie Low At Lupin's, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:23:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "You don't have to - ""I know I don't," Sirius muttered. "But I'm going to."





	

_Lie low at Lupin's for a while._

  
Sirius - or rather, Padfoot - had shown up on Lupin's doorstep, tail thumping and tongue lolling, and was welcomed into the quaint cottage by Lupin with a warm but tired smile.  
It was a fine time, until the fateful day. It was bound to happen, of course - Sirius had been there for about a month, so naturally he would have been around for a transformation. Lupin had realized this when he received Dumbledore's owl informing him that "Snuffles" would be staying with him for a while, and he had been dreading it ever since.

  
The day of the full moon, Lupin informed Sirius that Lupin would lock himself in his basement, and Sirius was not to come near him. Sirius insisted he join Lupin as Padfoot - _like in the shrieking shack, Remus - Remus, I've been with you during transformation before, it'll be fine, Remus, please_ \- to not avail. Remus didn't want Sirius to get hurt, and - though he didn't admit it - he didn't want Sirius to see him in his feral state. It was shameful.

  
And so Remus found himself - as he had so many times before - lying in the corner of the large, cold, stone basement, unsure of what time it was, his whole body burning and aching. He was covered in fresh scars; dried, rust-colored blood was smeared on his pale and sickly flesh and flecked across the basement, interrupting the cold gray stone with splashes of gruesome red. All Lupin had was a raggedy old scrap of cloth to wrap around himself, trembling from the cold, the pain, and the fear.

  
He heard the door rattle - Sirius was trying to come downstairs. Lupin didn't tell him to go away; he was hurt and tired and unwilling to speak. He wasn't even sure if would be able to; his throat felt painfully scratchy and dry.

  
Lupin heard the muffled muttering of a spell and the click of a the lock. _Stubborn fool_ , Lupin thought wearily as Sirius's heavy footsteps carried across the basement, echoing in the grim emptiness.

  
Remus felt Sirius's arms wrapping around him before he even realized Sirius was near him. He was lifting Remus up, his arms warm against Remus's clammy flesh, carrying him across the basement.

  
"Sirius -" he croaked out, but Sirius shushed him. Neither of them spoke beyond that.  
Sirius set him down on one of the kitchen chairs and wrapping him in a thick blanket, tossing the filthy rag wrapped around him to the side. Sirius grabbed a damp, warm rag to gently clean the blood and dust from Remus's skin, being careful not to press too hard against Remus's many fresh wounds. He wrapped the worst of the cuts in bandages before grabbing a small tub of water and beginning to gently clean Remus's matted and tangled hair.

  
"You don't have to - "

  
"I know I don't," Sirius muttered. "But I'm going to."

  
Remus felt a flutter of warmth in his stomach. The wild, impulsive Sirius from his youth was now quietly mother hen-ing over him - his fifteen-year-old self would've never believed it. And yet, he felt dread thinking about the reason why he had become so withdrawn.

  
Sirius finished cleaning up Remus and made them some tea. It was still utterly silent except the gentle clinking of teacups and the hiss of boiling water. He sat down across from Remus as they sipped their tea; both of them had deep shadows under their eyes and hands trembling slightly from exhaustion.

  
"Next time, I'm not going to let you do that alone," Sirius mumbled into his tea. "I don't care what you say."

  
Remus smiled sadly. "If you stay that long."

  
"Are you kicking me out, Moony?" Sirius attempted to joke, but there was no humor in his voice. It was pained and sad, tired and scared.

  
"No, I'm - I'm not - I just thought you wouldn't want to stick around."

  
"I'll be here long as you let me, Remus. But if I've worn out my welcome, just say the word."

  
Nervously, Remus stretched a single trembling and scarred hand across the table to Sirius. Sirius took it.

  
"I don't want to be apart from you again," Remus muttered softly.

  
And they sat, tired and hurting, holding hands in the comforting silence of the morning, as the sun rose on a new day.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading also I'm gay
> 
> follow me on tumblr @wastelanderr !


End file.
